The Tripawd Times of Nova the Great Dane

Anyway, she got together all sorts of pictures of my first year, but realized that there were not any from when I was about 3-8 months old.  She can’t figure out why.  I guess we were just so busy together that she forgot to take pictures.  One thing she does remember is taking me to puppy obedience class.  I passed with flying colors, but got a lot of attention because I was so much bigger than the other “puppies”.

I guess the first year with a Great Dane puppy is pretty amazing.  I went from 0-120 lbs in only one year!  That’s how much a typical 13-year-old teenage boy (my brother is now 13 years/120 lbs.) grows in 13 YEARS!  I did all that growing in only ONE.  Mom said that every day with a Great Dane puppy was a new adventure because I really DID grow overnight.  She said I went through a bunch of collars.  And I finally grew into my big feet.  But I STILL had a sweet little puppy face.

Big Puppy

I may have been big, but I was still a puppy inside! (This was me at about 7-8 months).

Our Usual Spot

I was just as big as Emmy by now and we loved to lounge on Mom’s bed.

Beautiful Nova

This was at our town “Peach Festival” parade, when I was about 8-9 months old.  I loved all the attention I got from people in the crowd.  When you are a Great Dane, EVERYONE always wants to stop and pet you.  People also make silly comments like “Hey, that’s a BIG dog! and “Do you have a saddle for that thing?” and “How much does HE eat?” (people automatically assume you’re a guy when you’re big).  Mom and my brothers came up with all sorts of snappy comebacks when people would ask these questions.  One of my favorites when people would ask how much I ate, Mom would say “About 2 kids a day!”  Haha

Big Tongue

Mom always said I had a REALLY long Gene Simmons-type tongue.  I tend to be very sensitive to the heat in the summer, so when it was hot I would pant alot.  My tongue is like a big long red carpet that rolls out. Can’t help it.

Ferry Ride

Back then my family really didn’t go on vacation that much.  But one fall they decided to go to Mackinac Island (in the Straits of Mackinac in between Michigan’s lower and upper peninsula).  Mom did not want to leave us, so she found a hotel on the island that allowed dogs.  There are no cars allowed on the island, and you have to take a ferry to get there.  I really did not like the boat ride, but my brother snuggled with me.  Emmy was off doing the rounds on the ferry letting everyone pet her while I was a big chicken.  I get seasick, I am definitely not one of those seafaring hounds.

Cruising the Island

I REALLY got a ton of attention on the island.  They don’t really get a lot of dog visitors there, I guess, especially dogs that are closer in size to the horses that work on the island, than they are to the other dogs there!  We walked to our hotel, which was a mile from the ferry, rather than take a horse taxi.

Sweet Digs

The hotel was great, and perfectly equipped for Great Danes.  Check out this awesome built-in elevated dog dish that they had, right there in the room.  Plus there were cushy beds and couches everywhere.  This place was called the Mission Point resort, and they were totally dog-friendly, with no weight restrictions for pets.  Emmy and I loved going on vacation, except when we were left behind when the family would go out to dinner.

Talk About BIG

Wow, this was the first place I had ever been where there were 4-legged creatures that were WAY bigger than me.  Mom said that they were horses.  So THIS was what people were calling me.  I was impressed.  Although I was happy I did not have to work as hard as these horses, who had to pull horse taxis full of people around the island.

Fort Michilimackinac

Emmy and I even got to go to all the tourist places on the island, well MOST of them.  This was at Fort Michilimackinac.

Still a Puppy

I still very much had that puppy face!

Still Fit

That was the last time, though, that I was able to fit sitting up in the back of an SUV.  After this point, Mom had to buy minivans so I could fit comfortably in the car.

Snuggle Buddies

Emmy and I were still snuggle buddies, but now I was much, much bigger than I was a few short months ago.  She didn’t seem to mind!

Can't Quite Fit

Loveseats don’t work for Great Danes.  There’s just not enough room, although we would try to make it work.

This Works Better

The key with a loveseat is to get there first!

First Halloween

Mom dressed me in silly outfits and hats, just like a William Wegman Weimaraner, from the very beginning.  This was my first Halloween, where my brother’s dressed me in a business suit.  Emmy and I went as Mr and Mrs. Great Dane.  Emmy got to be the Mrs.

Hey Mon

Here’s one of my first hats, where I was “Rasta Dog”.  Yeah mon.  I didn’t really like it that much.

Reindane

And here I am at the Rochester Christmas Parade in 2004, about 10 1/2 months, with my first (pretty dorky if you ask me) pair of reindeer antlers. I much prefer the antlers Mom makes me wear now.

So you can see… I haven’t been a TOTAL couch potato forever.  I have had adventures like other dogs, although Mom says I am still more like a cat than a dog.  Guess that’s why Dad calls me the “Housecat”. It IS a little harder to do things now that I am blind.  I am a little more scared and skittish when I go places.

Well, that’s it for Year 1.  I had lots more adventures in Year 2 that we will share with you soon.

Dog Save the Queen!

Yesterday, on January 26th, my big hunka Great Dane love turned 6 years old.  It’s hard to believe it’s only been 6 years.  She has definitely had a tremendous life full of many ups, and a couple of (really big) downs.  To many pawrents, 6 doesn’t sound like very old for a dog, but for a Dane, it is.  That is what is so heartbreaking about Danes.  I have occasionally heard of a Dane who lived to 10, and there may be a handful who exceeded 10.  But I was always told that the “typical” life expectancy of a Dane is 6-8 years.  Such a short time on this earth for such a precious animal.  I guess that’s why Dane have such endearing, loving traits.  They try to pack a lifetime of love into fewer years.

Well, I’d have to say that her birthday was not quite as big as a blowout as the Ampuversary.  Not that it isn’t as important, I have just been in school most days of the week and haven’t had the time to go overboard like usual.  But Nova didn’t complain when her birthday meal came from a can, unlike my boys who were squawking all night about how Mom is not home to “feed” them anymore.

Birthday Girl with the Power Paw

Don’tcha just love the party hat?  I can’t believe I found it at Party City.  I wish it said “All Hail the Birthday QUEEN”, but Nova was willing to settle for Princess. I love to take pictures of Nova and her Tripawd Paw, which I refer to as her Power Paw, because now does the work of two legs.  It may seem silly to some, but sometimes I just sit with Nova, bury my face in her neck, and stroke this awesome leg and paw.  I am so thankful Nova had the strength to handle life as a Tripawd.  For giant breeds, it can be more of a challenge, but I am so proud of my girl being such a role model for other giant breed Tripawds.

Presents

The birthday girl had a relaxing dinner of canned Taste of the Wild “Wetlands”…. duck, quail, turkey and a host of other yummy ingredients.  Of course there was beef trachea, Caira Sue’s Mom insisted there be, but that was devoured before I could get my camera out.  There was an array of organic, wheat and corn-free dog cookies. The boys set out to buy Nova a hot pink Snuggie, however came back empty-handed because they didn’t make them big enough.  The “Large” said it would fit a dog 20+ lbs!   Duh.  I would not consider a 20-lb dog LARGE.  Oh well, we are used to there being a lack of clothing for Great Danes.  So we have to settle for hats.

The Crown of Pawesomeness

Speaking of hats, one of Nova’s presents was a “formal” crown.  Her tiara is still appropriate, but she saw a picture of Queen Elizabeth II with a crown like this, so she wanted to be big-time with her.  I know all of the pictures are of her sleeping, but it really is what Nova does best, so I thought it would be a most appropriate time for her to wear it.  Plus, trying to balance it on her head with her hopping all over was not an easy task.

Crown Swiper

Emmy just had to try on Nova’s crown while she was sleeping.  Admit it, you would do it too.

The Sleeping Beauty

My sleeping beauty turned into a Queen!  Oh wait, that’s right, she already WAS one!

Queen Big Butt

My kids call Nova “Queen Big Butt”.  Can’t argue with that.  Oh well, that one song does say the guys “Like Big Butts”, right?

Ok, time to go to school again today.  We’ll try to get the older puppy photos up soon for the next installment of “Nova Through the Years”.  But it won’t be tonight, I’m in class until 10 pm.

So lets hear a round of “ALL HAIL QUEEN NOVA…… DOG SAVE THE QUEEN!”

Sorry it’s been taking so long for Mom to get more pictures on of me.  She has been studying like crazy for her first Anatomy and Physiology and Medical Terminology tests.  She says she had learned a lot already just from all of my health issues.  Glad I could help!  haha  Anyway, I’ve giving her the head butt every time she is on the computer and she FINALLY got the message.  So here is the next batch of pictures.  These were taken once I came home to my new family.

Settling In

I took charge of the house in no time.  Isn’t it funny how much bigger Emmy was than me back then?  That was back when I could walk under her legs.  That lasted for about, uh, 2 months!  Now she has to walk under mine!

Lovin' Life

As you can see, I just loved my new family.  There were two wonderful leather couches to lounge on, and people all around to spoil me.  I was so glad that they chose me to to join their pack.

Loving Sisters

Emmy and i were the best of friends from the very beginning.  She took me under her wing as a little sister, and showed me the ropes. Emmy was very well-behaved, and I learned a lot from her.  I didn’t chew on the furniture or steal underwear like a Lab that Mom once had would do.  I graduated with honors from my puppy socialization class.  Emmy did agility for awhile, but I never really got the hang of that.  I was a little too uncoordinated, and was  much more interested in snuggling with and leaning on people.  That led my brothers to give me a few nicknames.  One being the McDoofus.  I am definitely very Marmaduke-esque, that’s for sure.  Let’s see… other nicknames included “Bossy Nova” (I have a big mouth and speak my mind, the “Golden Turd” (because I like to lay around like a, uh, turd), Oaf, Wildebeest, oh and get this… “Grape Brain” (as opposed to Great Dane, because my brothers said my brain was the size of a GRAPE.)  Brothers can be a pain!

Me and Sissy

 Oh how I loved my sissy!  We would always nap together (and still do!) and she would always lay a protective paw over me (and still does!)  I have always been able to count on her to be by helping paw.  Especially when I went blind last year, Emmy became even more of my protector, helping me find my way to all my favorite places around the house.  I don’t know what I would do without her!

Growing Fast

Mom always said that growing up I was so funny because I had so much extra skin, but then the next day I would have grown into it.  And of course I had huge feet that I would trip over all the time because they were growing so fast.  Nearly every week we were going to the pet store to get a new collar.  Mom decided that she was just going to buy the cheap nylon collars for me until I was full grown, THEN I could get a leather collar.  Same with my crate.  My puppy crate lasted about a month, then I moved into the “colossal” crate.  Luckily, Mom trusted me pretty quickly and it didn’t take me long to get free run of the house.

Lap Dog

Here you can see how fast I was growing, napping on my Uncle Bryan’s lap.  You can still see all the loose skin, I guarantee you a week after this picture I was 10-20 pounds heavier!  As I got bigger it was hard to understand that people did not always want me on their laps anymore.  I really wish I could still be a lap dog!  I remember just a few years ago when I was in the hospital right before my bloat surgery.  I was so scared that I jumped up in Mom’s lap in the waiting room (all fours up in her lap, shaking like a leaf).  All the people there thought it was so funny to see such a big dog be such a big baby.  I was lucky that Mom did not care that I was making big bruises all over her legs from all the weight, she just cuddled me like a little chihuahua.

Can't Fit

It was hard to grow so fast because I couldn’t always understand why I couldn’t fit in places where I could just a few days before.  Here I am inside the crate of my cousin Stella, a weiner dog.  I didn’t get why Stella’s crate had shrunk.  Today, I don’t think I could even fit my head in there.

Love, Licks and Leans,

Nova

While Mom and I get together the pictures from my first year (you are going to be BLOWN AWAY when you see how fast a Great Dane grows in one year!!!), we thought you might want to see a couple of pictures of my predecessor, Zira, formerly known as Goldie Fawn.  Even though I never knew Zira, she is very special in my heart because she was the one who made Mom fall in love with Great Danes.

Introducing Goldie Fawn Zira

Zira was a little different than me.  First, she was a little bigger.  Second, she did not have floppy ears like me, she had cropped ears.  Mom said that she had a botched crop job on her ears and they got all infected.  So her ears were really small and only one of them stood up (only sometimes).

Skin and Bones

Zira was also really, really bony.  Her previous family did not feed her very well.  They would just put out a bowl of (bad quality) food for all 12 of the dogs in the house to fight over.  Since Zira was so sweet she usually got pushed around by the other dogs.  As you can imagine, she got a the food she wanted at our house and was beefed up in no time.

Lazybones

Look familiar?  Ha ha…. here Zira looks just like me!

Zira Loves Fluffy

Another thing we had in common is that we both love stuffed animals.  Zira liked them a little smaller then I did, though.  She loved Beanie Babies, but Mom was worried about her having them because she was afraid she would swallow the beans inside. This is Zira with Fluffy, the 3-headed dog from Harry Potter.  It was actually my brother’s, but when Zira moved in she claimed it as her own.

Swiping Fluffy

My brother kept trying to get Fluffy back, but Zira kept barging in his room to steal him.

Zira and Pikachu

This is Zira with her very favorite stuffy, Pikachu.  This was the stuffy that Mom took to her when she was in the hospital.  To this day, Mom keeps this Pikachu along with Zira’s enormous collar (even bigger than mine!) in a special box.

Well, I hope you like these pictures.  Mom also wants to show you some pictures of her first Tripawd (Milhouse, a Dalmatian, a rear-leg Tripawd), although she wants to see if she can find some pictures of him when he was a Tripawd.  He was only a Tripawd for 4 months, so there weren’t many taken… I guess they didn’t have digital cameras then! But for Halloween that year he dressed up as a Pirate, with an eye patch, peg leg and all.  There are a lot of pictures to go through, so hopefully she can find them, I heard it was really funny!

Ok…. we will get to work on the other pictures, but they probably won’t be posted until Thursday night.  Mom has 8 hours of school today, and another 4 tomorrow.  Looks like I am going to get in some excellent naps!

Love, Licks, and Leans,

Nova

I was not Mom’s first Great Dane.  Mom had many dogs over her lifetime, but she always wanted a Great Dane ever since she was a little girl. Everyone thinks we are a lot of work (because we are so big) but few people realize that we are generally pretty low-maintenance.  Of course, if we get sick it’s a different story because the vet charges by the pound for surgeries and such!  Anyway… Mom had various mutts, a Cocker Spaniel, white Lab, Dalmatian (actually her first Tripawd… Milhouse had a rear leg amp from Osteosarcoma 7 years ago… no chemo… survived 4 months after amp) but really wanted a Dane, especially a BROWN (which we call “fawn”) Great Dane.  She began shopping for a Great Dane puppy back in 2003. 

During the course of her “shopping” she came across an ad in the paper for a 2-year-old adult Dane for sale.  She responded to the ad and found out that the lady was a hoarder, she had over a dozen Danes living in her home.  The Dane for sale had her first litter when she was just over 1 year old.  Mom really wanted to save her from that place, so she decided to go visit her.  Goldie (Mom renamed her Zira) was the gentlest sweetheart of a dog that Mom ever met.  But the poor sweetie lived in a cramped, trailer-like house with all sorts of Danes and it smelled horrible.  But Zira was so sweet, when she met Mom she kept bringing her her Beanie Babies, that she kept with her all the time and tended to like they were her babies.  Mom wrote a check on the spot and got Zira out of there, and took her home to her new life.

Zira was enormous for a female Dane.  She was over 160 lbs., even bigger boned and taller than me!  Mom took her to the vet for a checkup and found out that Zira had heartworm.  She was bummed, but didn’t think for a minute to return her to the lady and demand a refund.  It really sucked that those people had all those dogs but weren’t willing to get heartworm preventative.  Mom wanted to get Zira spayed, but that would have to wait until she went through the grueling heartworm treatment.

Even though Mom had to pay a lot of money to care for Zira, she fell in love with the Great Dane.  Mom says Zira was very sweet, polite, and obedient, the best dog you could ask for.  She loved stuffed animals (just like me!) and treated them like her babies.  My brothers thought she was the greatest dog ever, and all the neighbors flocked to their house to see their “gentle giant”.  Zira was famous! After the heartworm treatment was complete, Mom scheduled Zira for spay surgery.  But there was a problem with the surgery.  Zira was bleeding internally uncontrollably, and a few days after her surgery she died.  The vet said she had Von Willebrand’s disease, which is some sort of blood clotting disorder.  They tried everything to save her, numerous blood transfusions, but Zira died in Mom’s arms at the vet, right in front of my brothers, who were all there to try to cheer her up with her favorite stuffed Pokemon “Pikachu” and her favorite raspberry oatbran muffins.  Mom was devastated.

When Mom went home that night she checked her email and found a message from a lady who was responding to her request for a Great Dane puppy that Mom had sent months before.  Mom did not feel ready for a puppy so soon, but the picture tore at her heart.  It was my big sister Emmy, a Blue Great Dane.  A few weeks later Mom brought home Emmy.  Emmy’s presence in the house helped ease the pain from Zira’s passing, although Zira’s passing left a big hole in Mom’s heart, especially since she was with her for such a short time (3 months).  After 6 months with Emmy, Mom thought it would be nice for Emmy to have a sister.  She was in a pet store one day and met a man with a beautiful fawn Dane, and asked him where he got her.  The Dane reminded her of her sweet Zira, very big-boned and gentle. He gave Mom a business card for Blue Diamond Danes, in Charlotte, MI.  Mom called the breeder and found out that there was a litter due soon.

I was born on January 26, 2004 in the kennels of Blue Diamond Danes in Charlotte, MI.  I had 7 brothers and sisters.  My (dog) Mom was named Morgan.  She was a very gentle, sweet fawn Dane, and about 140 lbs.  My Dad’s name was Juno.  He was a Brindle Dane (they are brown with black tiger pattern) and very big and strong (180 lbs.).  Mom emailed Tamra (the breeder) for a few weeks to decide which puppy to choose.  She decided on me, which Tamra described at the “verbal drama queen”.  Mom came to visit me when I was a baby to hold me and tell me she was going to be my new Mommy.  Mom decided to name me Zira’s Champagne Supernova.  First, since I resembled Zira, she wanted her name as part of my official AKC name, to honor her.  She had come up with the name Nova because she liked the way it sounded, and on the way to meet me she kept hearing the song “Champagne Supernova” on the radio (I guess it was played all the time then).  It just kind of clicked to her that I was a Champagne color, and of course I was “super”, and I was already “Nova” so the official AKC name was decided!

Suddenly Shy

 When Mom first met me I was really, really shy.  I knew I was the mouthy dog with all my brothers and sisters, but I was a little scared when Mom first came to visit me.  I hid behind my dogmom’s feet at first.

Baby Nova

My dogmom told me it was ok, that this lady was going to be my new Mommy and that she was going to take excellent care of me when it was time for me to go home.  That’s my birthmother on the left, Morgan, and on the right, that is the breeder, Tamra, holding me.

Dinner Time

Here is my birthmother feeding me dinner.  I know it’s hard to see me, I am so small!  If you notice, my dogmom had cropped ears, which my Mom decided she did not want for me.  My Mom believed that it was cruel to crop my ears just to meet a breed standard, and decided that she wanted my ears to stay natural, like a European Dane.  So that was cool I did not have to go through that surgery.

 This is my birthfather, Juno.  He was HUGE, his head was almost as thick as a Mastiff head, Mom says.

The Ride Home

Several weeks later it was time for me to go to my new home.  This was me in the car on the ride home from Charlotte, which was a couple of hours from the house.  I was a little nervous to leave my dogmom, but I had a towel in the car with me with her smell on it, so it helped me to not miss her so much.

Getting to Know My Brothers

As we started to drive I started to get more comfortable with my new humans.  My brothers sat on each side of me, comforting me on the ride home.

Loosening Up

I was starting to like my new brothers, so I started to relax and snuggle with them.

My Den

When I got to my new home I had a lot of room to explore.  What was really cool was that I had my own private den where i could hang out with the towel that smelled like my dogmom.  It really helped me to adjust to my new surroundings and I was really starting to like it.

Pretty Puppy

It didn’t take me long to find the best spot in the house, which was on the nice leather couch!  When Mom saw me up there she thought I looked so pretty she didn’t have to heart to tell me to get off.  So from then on, I was a couch potato!

This Is The Life

After a few days I did not miss my dogmom so much and was starting to really love my new life of luxury.

Snuggling with My Brother

It didn’t take long for me to feel like one of the family!

Ok…. now Mom and I are going to gather up pictures of my first year.  I think you are going to be reeeeeaaaallllllyyy surprised how fast Great Danes grow that first year.  Check back in a day or two!

Love, Licks and Leans,

Nova

Barney and the Queen

As you have probably seen by now on the Blog of Killbarney http://killbarney.tripawds.com/ Barney came to see me in snowy Michigan after Caira Sue “ripped him a new one” on the beach in California.  You know me, though, I am a “gentle giant”, so was very loving with Barney.  I don’t want to see him go, but he has a mission to accomplish.  Mom and I have chosen the next Tripawd to receive him (sssshhhhh…… it’s a BIG secret).  She has not sent him on quite yet, because she had to spend the day chasing me around the house trying to get my Tripawd paw print for the journal that Caira Sue’s mom put in there.  I don’t like my feet touched, ESPECIALLY my Tripawd foot because it is very important to me and I don’t want to lose it!  Let just call it my “Staff of Life”!  But Mom says Barney will go out in the mail tomorrow or Thursday.  So keep watching the Killbarney blog to see where he turns up next.

Mom and I were checking out Cemil’s blog the other day and saw some puppy pictures of him.  They were pawesome, it was so great to see a fellow big dog as a pup.  So we got the idea to do a few blog posts of “Nova through the years”.  Since my 6th birthday is coming up in a week (January 26th) Mom thought it would be a fun way to celebrate.  So watch shortly for a new blog post of me as a baby, with my birthpawrents.

We just enjoyed a wonderful slideshow tribute to Cherry on the Forum, so FINALLY Mom is ready to post some pictures of me at Christmas….

All Sorts of Yummy Goodies from Santa!

Santa had so many cool things for us.  Beef trachea, bully sticks, pig snouts, Texas Toothpicks (pig tails), new stuffies…. it was great.

Enjoying a Texas Toothpick (pig tail)

Takin' Down My New Jackelope Stuffy

I bet you never knew there were Jackelopes here in Michigan.  I can prove it, I took this one down in the living room!

My Cow Ear (which Emmy stole when I turned my head!)

Yeah, I never got to finish this present because Emmy stole it when I turned my head.  Isn’t that rude?  Taking advantage of the blind like that?  I am usually very good at sensing her approach, and giving her a warning growl when I think she is going to take my stuff.  Actually, I got up to go check something out, and came back and couldn’t find it.  I whined for awhile before Mom could figure out why I was sad.  She finally got the message and gave me an extra pig tail, and gave Emmy an earful.

This Jackelope Tastes Great!

Snuggling with My Lion Stuffy

On Christmas night, Grandma and Papa came over and gave Emmy and I two giant life-sized stuffies.  I got a lion and Emmy got an elephant.  They are like giant pillows.  I sure can’t wait to de-stuff this one!

24-Inch Bully Stick.... YEEEEE HAAAWWWW!

I was extra careful to guard this, and finish it quickly so Emmy wouldn’t steal it.

Naptime

Even the humans were napping after their delicious Christmas feast of turkey and beef tenderloin.  The best part was that Emmy and I got the scraps. YUM!

My Beautiful (Cow Ear Stealing) Sister, Emmy

She may look nice, but look out!  She’ll steal your stuff.

The Day After Christmas

Wow, what a pawesome howliday!

Mom and I want to wish all of our Tripawd pals and their pawrents a very hoppy, healthy New Year.  2009 was a rough year for a lot of us, so we are hoping for a hoppier 2010.

Peace, Love and Beef Trachea…..

Queen Nova of Tripawds

Thanks, Opie, for giving Mom a kick in the butt to let me back on the computer to post some recent pictures!

Last Saturday Mom took me and Emmy to the Fenton Jinglefest for a visit with Santa. This was the same place that Mom took me last year, just 3 weeks after my amputation. A year ago, Mom took me there in a blizzard, with about 8-10 inches of snow on the ground. I was just a new Tripawd, yet made it safely to Santa’s tent.  Santa was hosted by a local vet. For a small donation to Leader Dogs for the Blind, the vet employees (Santa’s Elves) would take pictures of pets with Santa, and let Mom take some with her camera too.  Last year Mom spent a alot of time there talking to people, telling them about my amputation and cancer.  I sure got a lot of attention!  So I was excited to go back this year.

See how excited I am in the car on the way there?

On the Way to See Santa!

Mom said I looked especially beautiful this year.  That was nice of her to say, don’t you think?  I feel great!

Leggy Lady

Well this year when we got there it was much easier to get there from the car, since there was no snow on the ground yet.  The only challenge this year was that now I am blind, and Mom is more cautious about taking me out in public because she doesn’t want me to get freaked out about unfamiliar surroundings.  She brought my sissy Emmy with us this time so that I would have a familiar dog with me.

When we approached the booth I could feel all the happiness in the air.  Several of Santa’s Elves recognized me from last year!  And they were sooooo happy to see me! My tail was going a million miles an hour. I was “feelin’ the love”, big time. You see, after meeting me last year, these people thought that they would probably never get to see me again. They thought that since cancer is so terrible, and it’s such a hard beast to fight, that I would probably be in Heaven by this Christmas! Awww geeze, can you believe these people, thinking negative like that? They were so excited and were bragging to other pawrents in line with their pooches that I was a miracle dog. Last year I was diagnosed with a deadly disease and here I am a year later, healthy and hoppy.  There were lots of high fives (or high fours from the dogs) all around.  I was lovin’ it.

Mom told them that I had been blinded by glaucoma, and they were even more amazed.  I guess I wasn’t “acting” blind.  I find my way around quite nicely with my turbo sniffer and seeing-eye tail.  Mom stuck close to me, and helped me find my way to Santa when it was our turn.

Mom says that Santa’s lap is big enough for anyone, but in this case she was WRONG!  I tried and tried to sit on Santa’s lap (Great Danes are lap dogs, you know), but I just couldn’t fit!  Everyone thought it was pretty hilarious since I was the only dog they had seen that day who was actually interested in Santa. He brings presents, you know, so it’s a really good idea to be nice to him.

No Room on the Lap

I gave Santa my list (new giant-sized stuffies, “Texas Toothpicks”, bully sticks, pigs ears, beef trachea, dried, smoked pig snouts, Christmas dinner leftovers, etc.) Santa ended up getting off his butt to snuggle up next to me so he could hear my list.

Santa and Me

Now Emmy was a different story. She does not snuggle up to strange men the way I do. She was mad at Mom for making her come and did not want to smile in her picture.

Get Me Outta Here

If you remember last year around this time, Mom got my reindeer antlers out and we wrote some Tripawds Christmas carols.  Remember, “Nova the Tripawd Dane-deer?” I’ve been telling Mom we need to get out the camera and do some more dane-deer photos, and maybe even write some more Tripawds Christmas carols to spread the holiday cheer.  So I will get on her case about that this week.

This time last year Mom was not sure that I would even still be hopping this Earth for another Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Isn’t that silly?  Sure enough, here I am, hoppy and healthy, over one year after my amputation.  If you recall, last year Mom and Dad left me with the Sack family the week after my amputation to go to Arizona because Dad was signed up to do an Ironman triathlon that he had been training for.  They came back right before Thanksgiving.  I was still recovering, so Dad and I spent that Thanksgiving on the couch.  We both had swollen, aching legs.

This year, I got ditched again at Thanksgiving.  My family went to downtown Detroit to run the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning with over 14,000 other people.  Insane if you ask me.  They went down there last Wednesday night, so sent Emmy and I over to the Mears’ house for an overnight campout.  It was rough going for me at first, but I was able to settle in and get comfortable within an hour.  Being blind and all, I have not spent a long period of time anywhere but home, where I know the lay of the land.  I was scared when I was there at first because there were unfamiliar surroundings.  Everyone was being really sweet to me, and I recognized the Mears family (Heather, Terry, Connor, and Kayla) since they spend a lot of time at our house.  I spent the first half hour there scared and shaking in their kitchen.  The only safe place seemed to be in front of the oven (Heather was cooking ribs, YUM). So I just stood there shaking and howling.

Mom finally got a clue and realized that I had to go outside.  So she helped me get outside to pee and brought me back in to my bed and my stuffie.  I felt great after that. Mom brought both of our beds so we could have “smells of home”.  I was a good girl all night and got lots of snuggle time in with Heather.  I only bumped my head once, and only knocked over 1 glass of wine with my tail, so that is a pretty good record for new territory.

Mom and Dad came back from Thanksgiving dinner the next day with a big bag of turkey leftovers.  Emmy was being a hog and practically knocking Mom over to get the good stuff.  I was more patient.  See what a good girl I am waiting for my turkey?

I'm a GOOD girl!

I'm a REALLY GOOD girl!

YUM!!!

Hey, it’s the “Queen Mum” here.  I finally managed to get the computer away from Nova so I could give everyone an update on her health.  Last week I called the oncologist to renew Nova’s piroxicam prescription (part of her metronomic therapy although she has remained off the Cytoxan).  She surprised me by saying that she would not renew the prescription without updated bloodwork. Makes sense, I know, but I have been avoiding getting chest x-rays so I really didn’t relish the thought of going in there.  Luckily, the oncologist was fine with me getting the bloodwork done at Nova’s regular vet.  Emmy needed updated bloodwork too, so I took the whole crew into the vet this morning…. all 287 lbs of Great Dane.  NOT an easy task!

To start, Nova has GAINED 13 lbs since the last time we were at the vet (September) so she is getting to be a little fatty!  Last we were in there she was a svelte 133, now she is 146 and has this goofy little fat waddle right below her neck near her amp incision.  I saw it flappin’ in the wind one day and just about had a fit, and had to feel her all over for hard lumps and such. NOPE, just plan ol’ flab.  I guess that’s to be expected. If I laid around like a couch potato all day I would pack on the pounds too.

They did a CBC and blood chemistry panel. I guess the purpose was to make sure the Piroxicam was not taxing the liver or kidneys, which supposedly it can.  Well, the bottom line is, it’s NOT. Both my vet and the oncologist said Nova’s bloodwork was AWESOME.  So that’s great!

I have decided that I am not going to do chest x-rays until there is some sign that indicates things might have progressed.  I have thought long and hard about it, and it just seems that we will enjoy life with Nova much more just living in the moment and not knowing if there are any mets.  Seeing all the tragedies that have befallen so many of our much-loved Tripawds pals, it just seems to be the right thing for us.  You can go in one day and get the “all clear” and your luck can change just a few weeks later. You never know. I would rather spend my time and $ loving Nova, rather than getting chest x-rays over and over. So that’s the plan.